Why look at Redwood City?
- High-cost housing. Median home is $1.9M — expensive market.
- Stable market. Home values +1.3% year-over-year — neither overheated nor falling.
- Higher tax state. Top marginal income tax rate around 13.3% — factor into salary comparisons.
Where Redwood City stands
Steady, no major recent move.
Home value trajectory · last 10 years
Zillow ZHVI · monthlyLifestyle scores
Scores are heuristic estimates from population density, state, and known transit/walkable cities. Not based on a paid Walk Score / Transit Score API — see methodology for the formula.
Rent trajectory · last 5 years
Zillow ZORI · monthlyHome value vs rent · indexed to 100
Both rebased at first month of ZORI data (~2015)Rent vs buy
At a 41.5 price-to-rent ratio, renting beats buying in Redwood City for most shorter stays. The premium you pay to own would take many years of saved rent to recover, and that's before maintenance, taxes, and what your down payment could earn elsewhere.
How the momentum score breaks down
methodology →About Redwood City (Wikipedia)
Redwood City is a city in San Mateo County, California, on the San Francisco Peninsula in the Bay Area of Northern California, approximately 27 miles (43 km) south of San Francisco and 24 miles (39 km) northwest of San Jose. The city's population was 84,292 according to the 2020 census. The Port of Redwood City is the only deepwater port on San Francisco Bay south of San Francisco.
Source: Wikipedia · this summary is contributed and licensed under CC-BY-SA.
City facts
Extracted from the Wikipedia infobox. Values may be slightly out of date relative to the latest sources.
Things to see in Redwood City(Landmarks)
- Union Cemetery, State Historical Landmark #816
- Fox Theatre
- Lathrop House
- Sequoia High School
Extracted from the Wikipedia article. Names linked in the source — open the city’s Wikipedia page for details.
Local safety & alerts
No active National Weather Service alerts for San Mateo County right now.
Public-safety links are official .gov sources, not curated by us. San Mateo County routes NWS alerts; check the state EM portal for non-weather emergencies.
Neighborhoods of Redwood City
16 tracked · ranked by median home valueRun the numbers for Redwood City
California context
Schools
Redwood City is served by 22 public schools enrolling about 11,055 students, with a student-teacher ratio of 19.5:1 — larger classes than the US average of ~15:1. Public-school facts are from the NCES Common Core of Data; check ratings and attendance boundaries by exact address below.
Ratings, districts & boundaries:
Sources: Zillow ZHVI (home values), Zillow ZORI (rents), US Census ACS + place population. Updated when source agencies publish revisions.
Climate & natural-disaster risk
State-level averages from NOAA Climate Normals (1991-2020) and FEMA National Risk Index. City-level conditions can vary significantly within a state.
Local sports teams
Major professional teams the San Francisco-Oakland-Berkeley area cheers for. Detailed stats, schedules, and player pages on intherafters.com.
Current weather
Find rentals & listings
Open current Redwood City listings on the major real-estate sites.
Links open the live search on the destination site — results are always current.
Local news & community
Latest news in Redwood City
3 from local press- Clifford teacher removed from classroom after past misconduct allegations surfaceLOCALRedwood City Pulse1w ago
- Crane Truck Driver Arrested For DUI After Overturning On Redwood City Highway: PoliceLOCALPatch6d ago
- Redwood City might get a rent-control law on the November ballotLOCALPalo Alto Daily Post3d ago
- 4 hospitalized, several displaced in Redwood City apartment fireKTVU2d ago
- Redwood City: Fire Crews Tackle 3-Alarm Blaze Monday EveningSFGATE2d ago
- Redwood City apartment complex fire injures 4, displaces dozensKRON42d ago
Updated 2026-05-28 from Google News + Reddit RSS. Filtered for Redwood City-specific coverage. Headlines link to original sources.
Local economy & environment
Humidity is annual average relative humidity (NOAA). Income is Census ACS 5-year estimate. Industries are largest employment sectors statewide (BLS); the local mix in a given city may vary.
Find more cities like Redwood City
Open the matchmaker pre-filled to match Redwood City’s price band, region, and size — refine to taste.
Find more like Redwood City →Cities similar to Redwood City
Explore other places with comparable momentum or affordability.
Cost-of-ownership at the median
Snapshot assumes a $150k single earner buying at the median home. Your real numbers depend on bracket, deductions, school district, and HOA. Use the affordability calculator and net-pay calculator for your specific case.
Schools & crime context
School quality is district-by-district and varies dramatically within a city. Check GreatSchools or your state DOE rankings for specific schools before deciding. City-level school data coming soon.
California: 499 violent crimes per 100K residents (state avg, FBI UCR). Neighborhood-level rates can vary 10× within one city — research specific areas via CrimeGrade or local police data.
Compare to where you live now
Set your current city once and we’ll show the cost delta on every city profile.
Jobs & hiring
In Redwood City, unemployment is low at 4.1%, and hiring momentum has been steady. The strongest local sectors are tech, healthcare and skilled trades & manufacturing.
Search current openings: